New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-01-19
THE OLD SETTLER.

"Grandpop, said little Peleg one
day, as the Old Settler sat by the
kitchen stove greasing his boots with
the nubbin of a tallow dip, twas you
ever buried alive?"
The Old Settler paused in his work.
He drew his hand slowly out of the
boot, put the nubbin back in the sauc-
er on the stove hearth, and sat the
boot on the floor. There was at first
a startled look in his eyes, but it dis
appeared as he pulled his spectacles
down from his forehead to his nose
and gazed over them at his lively
grandson, who was just then blowing
his breath on a window pane and
marking his name there with his finger.
"Ez l look back an gether up my
reconember 'nces," said the Old Set
tier, after a reflective pause, RI can t
'azact'ly say fer sartin whuther Iwere
buried alive or not, Peleg fer SO many
things tha'd be likely to set theirselts
fast onter my mind has happened to
me ez I've pressed for'ard, up an
down, over an acrost an through
this mundane spear, thtsech trifin'
little thing ez the one you mention OF
wouldn't hev ben likely fer to stick
thar, an O. course I've forgot it.
But whuther I ever was buried
Ok 1t,l,,,tb !
buried alive, I'm willin' to state it
right here ez one O the biggest facts
th't ever were mannyfactur'd, th't I
wasn't never buried dead, b'gosh, an
We kin spread it from the housetops!"
The Old Settler grabbed up his boot
again. and rubbed it vigorously with
the grease for g. moment. Peleg hav-
ing exhausted the surface of the win
dowp pane with his inscriptions, hustled
the cat out OF the rush-bottom rock
ing chair and sat down. His grand
father suspended his boot greasiag
operation once more.
"Peleg,'' said he, "that's cur Gus
question fer you to put to yer gram
! pop. Wat hev We been seem orhear-
in tell on th't could ha' put it inter
yer conk?'i
"Well," said Pelee, 'sBill Simmons
! says to me the ether day, That's a
wonderful chap, chat granddaddy oil
yours he says. How many times
has he been KILLED and wounded?' he
says. l told Bill that I guessed you
hadn't been killed and wounded many
times, not all at once, anyhow; but
that you had been about everything
else there was, except it might be bur.
led alive. told Bill l guessed you
hadn't been buried alive yet, you
jest ask him if he hahn t. Bill says
and if he don't say that of course he
has, and don't tell you al
about how it happened Bill says
you can come over and suck for az
hour on our cider barrel with straw.
So Iguesss I'll go over to Bills now
grandpop, and sea whether the cidel
is worth it. ~
.'Jis' hol on leetle, Peleg," sale
the Old Settler, with ominous mild
ness. 'I'vegot time 'nought to givt
ye some advice on different matters
'tWixt now an the, time yer gram
nanny comes in, an it'll doye good
mebby, to hev ears an hear. Ye,
had the mumps on both sides, hahn
We. Peleg?"
i EYES," said Peleg.
can the measles an the hookin
cough?''
Had en- both bad.
An was ye in wen the chicken-po,
visited your folkses, house?''
81 was there, grandpop.''
That's good, !" said the Old Settler
leaning back in his chair and gettin
ready to talk. That's good. An.
/ boy o your age ez has had all then
Already, specially the mumps on boil
sides, is apt to git it inter his hea<
that tn hain't nothin' wuss to come
an th't he's ready to stan anytiin
tn t is i'll TIL futur' an come ont hNllSy
], less it mowt be little rassel With
4 fam'lyso' bars, or the unfortinit run
q min agin a catty mount ez has beel
dissyp inted fer a week or SO in gettln
his grub reg,lar, Consistently sech
boy kin preciate the small passed. o
facts I'm bout to give him, fer they'l
4 show him b gosh how he kin be mis-
II IL hort 7, olf